Bangladeshi-born Swedish entrepreneur’s success story

Success requires a great deal of persistence and hard work. The story of Narayanganj Sonargaon’s Tanvina Mohsin in pursuing her dream is a remarkable example of such perseverance.
Tanvina, who has lived in Sweden since the age of 12, began working at an insurance firm after finishing college. However, while working there for over a year, she yearned to start a business of her own, as was her dream back in college.
She eventually got married to Sylhet’s Rezaul Karim, who was working in a hotel at that time. That was when Tanvina decided to open up a restaurant of her own.
She left her job at the insurance company and began working at a restaurant named “Three India” with her husband to gain hands-on experience in the industry.
In the meantime, she was on the lookout for suitable locations to start her own restaurant.
One and a half years later, Tanvina finally came across a location with a restaurant that she found to her liking. The owner of the restaurant agreed to sell the rights of the restaurant to the couple on the singular condition that they would not alter its name.
Accepting his condition, Tanvina and Rezaul re-opened the restaurant, “Indian Garden” in 2011, in the capital city, Stockholm, which marked the beginning of their restaurant business.
While “Indian Garden” struggled in the beginning, it began doing well after a year and half. The name remained what it was, but the décor and food took the restaurant to new heights.
The couple took special care in developing an ambience that would appeal to a Swedish clientele.
Tanvina and Rezaul currently own six restaurants of the same name in Stockholm alone. They employ 400 people, 200 of whom are Bangalis. They are also the owners of a company that is the primary supplier of raw materials to their six restaurants.
In her 17 years of experience, Tanvina received some prestigious awards, notably, the Golden Dragon Award and the Best European Curry Chef Award. She has emerged as a role model for Bangalis in Sweden.
This entrepreneur also has big plans for Bangladesh. She aims to open a Swedish-inspired restaurant in Bangladesh in the next two to three years, and bring in Swedish chefs. Additionally, she intends to hire only educated women as staff.
“The name of the restaurant will definitely be in Bangla,” Tanvina said.
This article was first published on banglatribune.com